Alkebu
The southernmost continent in the world of Black Skies, Alkebu, is a mysterious land teeming with many strange creatures, people, and mysteries that have persisted for thousands of years. From the humid rainforests around Cyren to the vast open deserts of the former Saleusian Kingdom, Alkebu has stood mostly unmolested by the outside world for most of its history until the 16th century. The native inhabitants of Alkebu are quite different to those in the north. In the western jungles, the native tribes are dark-skinned and broad shouldered, a testament to their surroundings. In the desert are found swarthy skinned, dark haired men and women whose rough skin protects them against the sun's deadly rays and the coarse sand of the deserts. Pre-History Little is known of Alkeban pre-history, only what explorers have gathered and written down from tribal shamans and storytellers. While each tribe varies with certain religious rites and beliefs, the creation of the earth always begins the same; The continent itself is said to be as old as time, a place whose original inhabitants (according to native legend) were great old gods from "outside the world". It is said these "gods" oversaw the creation of humanity through the cracking of a fruit that released the first spirit of man. It was completely unintentional, falling off a large tree and cracking on the back of an elephant. The first man wandered across the vast desert into the rainforest of western Alkebu alone for many moons before the great old gods saw fit to grace him with a partner. Tlaloc, the chief god of storm and sea, put the man to sleep and stole from him a single bone from his leg, from which woman was created. The pair met and mated as the animals did, and from them sprang the first group of humans that inhabited the Alkeban jungle. The Banu Recorded at least as far back as 2,000 BE, the Banu Empire stretched from the great mountains in the northwest, encompassing the entirety of the rainforests and even brushed against the great Alk Desert. Each tribe fell under Banu control, whether by agreement or force. They created a singular system of trade and language, bringing together thousands of dialects and beliefs in order to create a unified empire. It worked well for many years, with a fairly benevolent royal clan ruling until some time later, it is said a coup took place that ousted the clan and replaced them with a dark cult. This cult was obsessed with calling the ancient gods down upon the earth in order to gain immortality and untold power. The ritual, however, could only be performed after decades of preparation. When all was set, the ruling cult apparently performed the ceremony to call a god down. What they managed to summon, however, was a monstrous beast that destroyed the cult leaders and the majority of the Banu Empire. According to the myth, a group of shamans was able to imprison the god beneath the earth, trapping it in a slumber that if disturbed would have untold consequences. Some tribes, such as the Halta-Banu and Apele people, hold to these beliefs as stories and use them as reasons to stay away from dark power and greed. The Kwa and Kru, however, are said to take these myths as truth, and while keeping to themselves it is said they search for the ancient writings of their ancestors in order to finish what they started so long ago. Current Alkeban Tribes: * Halta Banu - Large tribe, most peaceful and assimilated with the colonists. Descended directly from the ancient empire. Signed the Alkeban Accordance of 1619 to secure peaceful relations between colonists and neighboring tribes. * Xhona - Tribe whose land borders Cyren and New Varenth. Their land included the largest battles of the Alkeban Bush Wars, but a rogue faction split off during the 1719 peace talks and remains separate from Cyrenic land. * Oromi - Same as above. * Apele - Smaller tribe, aggressive but grudgingly peaceful with the colonists. * Bunto - Powerful tribe, relatively peaceful. Has a delegation in Cyren but otherwise keeps to the rainforests per the 1719 Peace Accord * Kwa - Half of the twin tribes that worship Tsukos, the primordial deity of shadow who is otherwise completely unknown. Rumored to perform blood sacrifice and cannibalism. Tentatively follows the 1719 Peace Accord * Kru - Same as above. The Great Saleusian Kingdom of the Great Alk Desert A massive kingdom that came into power sometime during the reign of the Banu, the Saleusians are a bit less mysterious. Founded by the warlord Saleusis, the great desert capital of Tanis was set between the rivers Tut and Len, named "The Brothers" in Saleusian mythology. The city grew into a thriving trade capital, providing a centralized location for all desert nomads to travel and sell their wares in the massive bazaars. Militarily, the kingdom was unrivaled in the continent. Moving beyond the spears and bows of earlier ages, Saleusian mystics uncovered the secrets of gunpowder and alchemy, allowing for technological advances that before were never thought possible. Growing out from Tanis, the Kingdom reached the northern coast and founded the great port city of Kanopos, through which ocean trade across the world spread, connecting the continent with the outside world on a large scale for the first time. In 900 , the Saleusian Kingdom was reorganized into a formal empire modeled after the northern lands, and the King at the time, Khopesh Ar-Phalan, called for a nationalistic expansion the likes of which Alkebu had never seen. Over the next few centuries, the Empire stretched from coast to coast north and south, eventually reaching the Ogon Węża, or 'Serpent Tail', the large peninsula at the southeastern tip of Alkebu. The conquest, however, did not last. By 1123, multiple civil wars and riots in the capital city weakened the ruling Saleusian dynasty. The hereditary monarchy, now an emperorship, was not well received. Behind closed doors, as well, the royal family was riddled with incest and disease which lent to mentally unstable and weak rulers. Eventually, after decades of pressure from revolutionaries and with the city states of Kanopos and Kaiyyum becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the Tanisian rule, the Empire soon collapsed on itself. Most of the capital's citizens left Tanis in droves in 1175, passing into the hinterlands to the northeast of the desert and founding the Kingdom of Mascron. From there, the kingdom encompassed the plains, steppes, and barren hills of the surrounding area. Inthe 18th century, Tanis is still inhabited and ruled by the broken royal family, albeit as a hollow shell of its former glory. Many buildings are uninhabited or sinking into the sands around them. Kanopos gradually declined due to the collapse of the empire and the need for trade declined. Eventually, it was abandoned, with most of its citizens moving to the northeast or south to the remnants of Tanis for some semblance of stability. Kaiyyum, originally located in the oasis that bore its name southwest of the capital, has been forgotten by history. It is spoken of among the desert bazaars and streets of Cyren in hushed whispers, but those who know its location are quite secretive. A New Discovery In more recent times, Alkebu had been visited by explorers and adventure seekers from distant lands such as Dorminia, Varenth, and even the Arrakan and Ulthia. No expedition was able to form a permanent settlement, with most attempts ending in disappearance or gruesome stories of death and lost treasure. Some of the most enduring rumors, however, were those not only of gold but valuable natural resources; a land unhindered by modern empires and kingdoms with vast, untouched resources. In its gradual climb of power, however, Dorminia persisted with the hope that these stories could be proven truthful. In order to gain a foothold, the great kingdom sponsored several expeditions with the aim of establishing relations with native tribes. After a time in 1591 AE, the famous Pollikarandian explorer Marko von Pentenberg was able to make a connection with the chief of the Halta-Banu Tribe, even taking the chief’s daughter as a wife in a trade of goodwill. Pentenberg eventually made it out of the rainforest back to the coast, albeit farther northwest from his original landing point. Ending up in a beautiful natural bay, the explorer decided to stay and founded a small trading post and town with those of his crew that elected to stay with him. That town would grow into a thriving metropolis on the edge of the wild, the last vestige of "civilized" man before the dark and mysterious continent that lay behind...Cyren. Cyren, the Edge of the Wild Founded by rough and uncouth sailors in the late 16th century, the Cyren of modern day has become the pinnacle of discovery and adventure. Growth, however, was not without its hardships. Strange creatures, bloodthirsty natives, and exotic sicknesses marked the formative years of the settlement. The people of Cyren required several shipments of colonists and food in order to survive. The first group of settlers mostly died out, with Pentenberg himself as governor of the town suffering from long term sickness. The hot and humid environment that Dorminians and most northerners were not used to became a killer, with hundreds of townspeople succumbing to disease and starvation. Eventually, with the help of the Halta Banu, the fledgling colonists began planting and harvesting Alkeban crops such as tobacco and fruits. After 12 years of subsistence farming and hunting or trading for meats, the people of Cyren reached an equilibrium. After becoming a Dorminian colony following a period of intense civil war that saw its charter revoked and the disbanding of the Grand Ulthian Company, Cyren underwent a period of rapid growth and change. The old title of Doux was replaced with Governor (Before being reinstated in the early 1700's), Cyren's military was established, and her borders grew along with cooperation from native tribes. As the city grew, so too did its needs. Hunters and explorers had been flocking to Cyren since its founding, but with the influx of the modern era, scientists and militaristic groups have also taken notice. Under 108 years of Dorminian colonization, technology graced the shores of Alkebu, something that had eluded the vast hinterland for most of history since the collapse of the Saleusians almost 8 centuries before. Airships and updated steam ships carrying technology and alchemists from the mainland transformed the colony almost overnight. Large wind turbines harnessing natural energy, a transit system, and large air and steamship docks brought more colonists than ever before. Trade of exotic hardwoods, handcrafted native wares, and crops such as tobacco and tomatoes brought a veritable flood of wealth pouring into the city, which most of the Douxs used to expand their own quarters and those of the nobility. Some, however, were focused on keeping relations with the natives and the capacity for trade in good standing.